Trump breaks from campaigning to promote luxury hotel

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump took a break from the campaign trail on Wednesday to cut the ribbon on his new luxury hotel in Washington, D.C., just 1 mile from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Hundreds of reporters and Washington insiders gathered to observe the grand opening for the lavish Trump International Hotel less than two weeks before voters decide whether Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton will be the next president.

{mosads}The event was essentially a commercial for Trump’s newest property that will air wall-to-wall on news broadcasts throughout the day.

Trump was aware that the event might appear unseemly this close to the election and used his speech to weave in themes that have long been the hallmarks of his campaign.

The GOP nominee appeared subdued and earnest as he used the hotel launch to draw a parallel to his own presidential run, saying he would restore the nation in the same way he turned the Old Post Office building — formerly a decaying government building erected out of granite in 1899 — into a five-star hotel.

“I’ve been very lucky, and I’ve led had a great life, and now I want to give back to the country I love so much and has been so good to me,” Trump said. “I want to go into the inner cities and the poor failing schools and I want to work on a national plan of revitalization. I’m tired of the excuses from our politicians and being told what cannot be done. I’m tired of asking Americans to defer their dreams to another day.”

The launch at the historic building attracted a spectacle.

Outside, dozens of protesters gathered to condemn Trump for his racially charged remarks about Mexicans and Muslims.

“Immigrants and Muslims welcome here, Trump Hotel is not,” read one sign.

“Build a wall against racism and bigotry,” said another.

The AFL-CIO also plans to have hundreds of protesters outside the building as Trump cuts the ribbon on the building. 

Inside, Trump was flanked by sons Eric and Donald Jr., as well as daughter Ivanka, who spearheaded the renovation project. Wife Melania and daughter Tiffany sat in the front row.

Top anchors from the major networks and other members of Washington’s media elite packed the ornate Grand Ballroom on the first floor to see Trump and his family members unveil the newest addition to their real estate portfolio.

Developers, architects and others involved with the project also had front row seats inside the gilded meeting room, which features lofty ceilings, gold-plated arches and a half-dozen massive crystal chandeliers hanging from above.

Trump and Ivanka led the $200 million renovation project under the guidance of federal agencies that monitored the construction to ensure the building kept the historic aspects that earned it national landmark status.

The GOP nominee held the project up as evidence of what the government can do when it works with the private sector.

The abandoned building was costing taxpayers $8 million in maintenance per year, Trump said, but now it is an engine of economic growth in the heart of the nation’s capital.

“This building is a historical landmark, a true American original,” Trump said. “It had all the ingredients of greatness but had been left to deteriorate for decades and was falling into a bad state of condition. It had the foundation of success … our job was to restore the former glory, but also to image a brand new exciting vision for the future.”

The final product is a 38,0000-square-foot hotel — with a massive clock tower protruding from the center that makes it the second tallest building in Washington — with 263 luxury suites, a steakhouse and a 13,000-square-foot ballroom that is among the largest in the city.

The trappings are lavish, and include restored millwork, marble bathrooms, and crystal sconces and chandeliers.

Still, it is odd for a candidate to break from the campaign trail this close to the election to attend to business interests.

Trump has featured his own properties and product lines throughout the presidential cycle, drawing criticism that he is using the campaign to shill for his own business interests.

Trump has pushed back at the criticism, saying he will leverage his success as a businessman to make Americans wealthy and to create new jobs.

A day earlier, Trump held a press conference at his Doral property in Florida, where he brought employees on stage to gush about what a great manager he is.

And one of Trump’s most memorable press conferences of the cycle came during the primary season in March, when Trump appeared at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., surrounded by Trump-branded products, like his lines of steaks and vodka.

This is Trump’s second promotional stop at the Washington hotel in just over a month.

At the soft launch in September, Trump infuriated the press by drawing them to the hotel under the guise that he would address his claims that President Obama was not born in the U.S.

Instead, Trump trotted out military officials who endorsed him at a press conference, making only a brief remark about how he believes Obama was born in the U.S. He then ended the press conference without fielding questions and barred reporters from touring the hotel with him.

Trump will return to the campaign trail for a pair of rallies this afternoon and evening in North Carolina, a must-win state where the GOP nominee trails.

“As soon as we’re finished cutting the ribbon I’m off,” Trump said.